Appeals court upholds woman's horse theft sentence MAGNOLIA (AP) — The Arkansas Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction and 60-year prison sentence of a woman who was charged with stealing horses from Southern Arkansas University. The court on Wednesday turned away arguments by 40-year-old Wendi Cox that there wasn't sufficient evidence to convict her. Authorities say five horses were stolen from the campus in Magnolia in late 2011. Four animals were found in stressed condition in Oklahoma,...

Crawford County voters OK tax hike for new jail VAN BUREN (AP) — Voters in Crawford County have approved a sales tax increase to pay for a new $20 million jail. In Tuesday's election, voters approved a half-percent sales tax increase to pay for construction of the jail and a 0.25 percent increase to pay for operations and maintenance. The half-percent tax will expire in 2023, while the smaller tax will be permanent. According to the Southwest Times Record, complete but unofficial results sh...

Threat against federal wildlife agent draws arrest TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — A Texarkana man cited for a hunting violation is accused of threatening to kill a federal wildlife officer. Richard Allen Harris was cited in February for hunting hogs during a closed season at the Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge and allegedly skipped an April 10 court date. Several days later, officers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service went to Harris' home in Texarkana to discuss the missed court appearance an...

Investigators mull cause of railcar fire GILLHAM (AP) — Fire investigators say spontaneous combustion may be the cause of a railcar fire in southwestern Arkansas. De Queen and Gillham fire departments responded Sunday to a fire on a Kansas City Southern Railway train. The railcar was moved to a siding, where it flared up on Tuesday, forcing firefighters to return to the scene. De Queen Fire Chief Dennis Pruitt told the Texarkana Gazette the car was loaded with outdated food and the f...

Garland County runs into vote machine trouble HOT SPRINGS (AP) — Too few voting machines and untimely breakdowns led to long lines at two Garland County polling locations, and some voters walked away without casting ballots. Garland County Election Commission chairwoman Ginna Watson says one Hot Springs polling site on Central Avenue had a printer problem Tuesday that slowed the pace of voting. Watson told The Sentinel-Record there were machine issues at most precincts. One polling site o...

Police tight-lipped about shooting in Jonesboro JONESBORO (AP) — Police in Jonesboro are saying little about the May 12 shooting death of a man on the city's west side. The Jonesboro Sun reported police have declined to release information about the shooting death of 47-year-old William Keith Gosney — saying the information is part of an ongoing investigation. Police have released no information about suspects or any persons of interest, the type of weapon used in the shooting or a possible...

Arkansas State University receives grants JONESBORO (AP) — Arkansas State University has received two grants totaling nearly $1 million from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. The funds will be used for theatre reconstruction in Dyess as part of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project and renovation of the historic V.C. Kays house on the school's campus. The council awarded $200,000 for work on the Kays residence and a separate grant of $750,000 for the Dyess project. T...

Arkansas awards more than $308k to crime victims LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says more than $308,000 was awarded to victims of crime last month. The Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations Board made the awards in 213 new cases, with additional expenses paid in 11 previously submitted cases. Under the reparations program, victims of violent crime in Arkansas are eligible to receive compensation for unexpected expenses after a crime. Victims may receive money for m...

Ross, Hutchinson win governor primaries LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Solidifying a general election matchup they've effectively been running for nearly a year, Democrat Mike Ross and Republican Asa Hutchinson clinched their parties' nominations for Arkansas governor in Tuesday's primary. The two ex-congressmen easily dispatched lesser-known, underfunded rivals. With most of the drama in that race reserved for the general election in November, Tuesday's primary was highlighted by dozens of hea...

Voters mixed o private option LITTLE ROC (AP) — Arkansas voters gave mixed signals Tuesday about the state's compromise Medicaid expansion plan, ousting one "private option" backer from his legislative office, nominating another for re-election and sending a third to a runoff. The private option calls for the state to dedicate federal dollars toward the purchase of private health insurance for people who couldn't otherwise afford policies. Several legislators said it offer...

Rice beats Holland in GOP state Senate bid LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A state representative who opposes Arkansas' private option Medicaid expansion has defeated a Republican senator who voted in favor of the plan. State Rep. Terry Rice of Waldron defeated incumbent Sen. Bruce Holland in Tuesday's general election. Rice will not face a Democratic opponent in November for the Senate seat. Holland was among the Republican senators who supported the private option Medicaid expansion, which uses f...

2 Appeals Court judges moving to Supreme Court LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Two judges from the Arkansas Court of Appeals will be moving to the state Supreme Court next January. Robin Wynne of Fordyce defeated lawyer Tim Cullen of Maumelle in balloting Tuesday. Wynne will replace Justice Donald Corbin, who is not running for re-election after more than 20 years on the bench. Two other Supreme Court seats were on the ballot. Justice Karen Baker was re-elected without opposition, and Court of Appeals ...

Language certified for alcohol sales proposalAttorney General Dustin McDaniel has cleared the way for supporters to begin gathering signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize alcohol sales in every Arkansas county. On Monday, McDaniel approved the text and ballot title of the proposal that would permit alcohol sales in all 75 counties. Supporters of the measure can now begin gathering the 78,133 signatures needed to get the proposal on the ballot. The proposal...

Top races take back seat in Arkansas primaryLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' expensive and nationally watched campaigns for governor and the U.S. Senate took a back seat to dozens of congressional, statewide and legislative matchups on Tuesday as voters headed to the polls to decide the state's various primary races. Neither Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor nor his Republican rival, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, faces a primary challenge as they gear up for one of the most high-profile Senate races in th...

Lea, Yang vying for GOP nod for auditor LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The two candidates seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor are touting their credentials and background as they run for an office responsible for writing the state's checks and best known for helping Arkansans reunite with unclaimed property. State Rep. Andrea Lea and Ken Yang are seeking the GOP nomination for the office in Tuesday's primary, hoping to succeed outgoing state Auditor Charlie Daniels. The winner o...

Ads for Pryor, Cotton matchup worry poll workers LITTLE ROCK (AP) — For months, their faces have been all over Arkansas televisions, yet U.S. Senate hopefuls Democrat Mark Pryor or Republican Tom Cotton won't be found easily Tuesday's primary election ballots. Voters will have to wait another six months to choose between the two, as both are running unopposed for Pryor's current seat in their party's primaries, which means their names will be grouped on the ballot with other unopposed candid...

Arkansas primary test of divisions within GOP LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Tuesday's primary in Arkansas will test the divisions among Republicans who hope to complete takeover of the state's top offices this fall as the party grapples with contested primaries in dozens of local, state and federal contests. In a far cry from past years where Democrats were so entrenched that the election for many offices was effectively decided in the spring, Republicans face contested primaries in five statewide r...

Arkansas unemployment rate drops in April LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The unemployment rate in Arkansas fell by three-tenths of one percent in April - down from 6.9 percent in March to 6.6 percent. Arkansas' Department of Workforce Services said Friday that the civilian labor force decreased by 8,300 because of 5,100 fewer people unemployed and 3,200 fewer workers. Department spokeswoman Becky Heflin said in a news release that the number of Arkansans without a job in April stood at 86,700 - a...

Gay couple last to wed in Pulaski County LITTLE ROCK (AP) — If they had been stuck in traffic for 6 more minutes on their way to Little Rock, Hilda Jones and Kerin Hartsell would have missed their chance to wed in Arkansas on Friday. With a sense of relief, the couple embraced and wept Friday - not knowing whether their union, and 540 others just like it, will withstand the scrutiny of the state's highest court. They were the last same-sex couple to receive their marriage license in ...